But the way stories are written, told and shared is transforming, right before our eyes.
Enter, stage left, digital technologies.
“We are at a crossroads,” says UNE Theatre Lecturer Dr Julie Shearer. “The craft of making theatre remains rooted in long-held traditions. But there are opportunities to employ all kinds of new digital tools and techniques, and potentially expand the number and range of audiences. Anyone undertaking a theatre course today needs to be capable of applying traditional skills in our digital era.”
So, on the eve of the program’s 50th anniversary, Theatre educators at UNE are rewriting the script. Retaining the foundational elements of performance-based storytelling, but augmenting them using the latest in technological innovation. The bold new Theatre and Digital Performance course, to be offered for the first time in 2026, caters to both established and emerging career opportunities for online and on-campus students.
“UNE will give students essential industry skills for live performances, but also the ability to create and curate their own online presence and parlay their skills into digital formats such as social media performance reels, podcasting, audio books and self-tape auditions,” adds colleague Dr Richard Jordan. “We are bringing the two worlds together, which will enable graduates to be much more entrepreneurial as they develop their repertoire and portfolio. And the beauty is that they don’t need to live in a big city to do that.”
Nor are the benefits limited to those passionate about a performance career. Others looking to employ their theatrical skills in alternate ways – in media, teaching, business communication, arts management and other creative arts practices – will find their learnings just as valuable as aspiring theatre directors, playwrights, and actors.
“Those who embrace the technological changes happening in our industry will be in high demand in the future,” Richard predicts.
Recent UNE graduate Francie Finn majored in Theatre at UNE as part of her Bachelor of Arts degree. The course allowed her to create a podcast drama series about Australia’s forgotten women writers (Firestarters) and an historical feminist play (Disorderly & Defiant) that she directed for local audiences in 2024, enjoying five sell-out shows. All from her hometown of Echuca, Victoria.
“I feel like a different person today. I am a maker of theatre – and UNE enabled that,” said Francie, who also runs a monthly improv workshop with a local theatre company.
“At UNE, I learnt to communicate across mediums and to apply skills in different ways. I helped produce real, entertaining, engaging performances at the end of four-day intensives – an opportunity that was gold – and I’m prepared for the possibilities that may come with digital theatre-making.”
Canberra-based Will Scott, whose side hustle is as a scriptwriter and film-maker, produced a feature film and several short films, one of which was screened at the Chicago Horror Film Festival in 2025, on the back of completing theatre units during his Bachelor of Educational Studies at UNE.
“The landscape of theatre is changing, and graduates need digital capabilities to increase their employment options,” he says. “Casting decisions these days can be made based on a person’s social media presence. But I hope there will always be space for traditional theatre and storytelling, because there is an energy that comes from being on stage.”
As pioneers of distance education, UNE has made theatre and performance training accessible to all Australians, no matter their life circumstances or location. And the regular, on-campus intensive schools have maintained a strong tradition of productions in collaboration with the New England arts community.
As technology becomes more pervasive, Richard believes it has the potential “to expand the experience of live theatre beyond anything that we previously thought imaginable”. But that will never diminish the authentic, ephemeral magic that’s conjured by simple, effective storytelling.
“There’s a balance that needs to be struck,” agrees Julie. “Sometimes I go and see theatre at mainstage companies with all the bells and whistles. They spend thousands creating a spectacle, but miss what makes a story interesting, which is the human dimension. Our Theatre and Digital Performance course will honour the very best of live performances while embracing new opportunities for storytelling, so that our students are versatile and ready to carve out a diverse career in the creative industries.”
